Cleveland And Seattle: With Bated Breath

As the orchestra business watches Cleveland and Seattle with bated breath, it is difficult to wonder if events at these two larger budget organizations will have any impact on the business as a whole. And it isn’t just insiders who are paying attention, music critics, cultural reporters, bloggers, and just about any other stakeholder with a social media account is wondering aloud how events will unfold…

Read more

Here’s To A Strong 2010

By and large, 2009 was a tough year for the field and although some groups will continue to stumble in the weeds, others are making progress on finding institutional balance while several are well on the way to stabilization. For example, the Charlotte Symphony released a statement on 12/31/09 announcing a new program to build annual operating revenue following the successful completion of an ambitious bridge fund campaign. Conversely, news out of Cleveland via Zachary Lewis at The Plain Dealer reports on brewing labor issues…

Read more

A Word To The Wise?

In case you haven’t checked the headlines out in the past week, you should be aware of the fact that Cleveland Plain Dealer critic, Don Rosenberg, filed a lawsuit against key figures in the Cleveland Orchestra. According to the 12/11/08 edition of the New York Times in an article by Dan Wakin, Rosenberg charged that orchestra officials had waged a “campaign of vilification” against him and that his bosses at the newspaper had caved in to demands that he be ousted…

Read more